Exploring Zenobia's World. The Incredible Rise and Fall of the City of Palmyra

04 October 2017

Lady Sattjeni V of Elephantine, Once More.

The October-November special issue of NILE Magazine: Discover Ancient Egypt Today has just appeared. Its main feature story is on 'THE GOVERNORS OF ELEPHANTINE'. These were the princes who are buried in the tombs of Qubbet el-Hawa (on the Nile opposite modern Aswan). This was a whole dynasty of governors, their mothers, wives, and their very extended family -- an elite just below the pharaohs in rank -- who ruled this southernmost province of Egypt during the Twelfth Dynasty (ca. 1960-1780 BCE).

I was asked to write an essay for this special issue, and I very much enjoyed doing it. Not just to write about the governors (though, surely, backstabbing and political machinations are always fascinating), but because I really wanted to think again about the life of Lady Sattjeni V -- daughter, wife, and mother of a pride of governors. We have found out a remarkable amount about this lady who lived in the late Middle Kingdom. She was a key figure in the dynasty, and we are lucky enough to know about her suprising role in keeping power in the hands of her family. Nile Magazine now updates my earlier blog posts on Sattjeni V (A Leading Lady in Elephantine on the Nile, Part I and Part II).

This is the true story of an Egyptian Dynasty, as it happened some 3,800 years ago -- fresh from the pages of the NILE:

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About Me

I studied Classical Archaeology at the University of Oxford (M.Litt.) and am a member of the British School at Athens. I excavated for many years on Crete and on the Greek mainland and travelled extensively in the Middle East. I have lived and worked among the ruins of the three great Caravan Cities: Petra, Palmyra, and Baalbek. It was at Palmyra in Syria that I began to tell the story of Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, and the rebellion that she led against imperial Rome. I was living within the grounds of the Temple of Bel, and at night, when the great gates of the temple were shut, I came closer to the spirit of the time and place than probably anyone has ever done before. I know that I felt very close to Zenobia, which made the book a joy for me to write.

IS THIS ZENOBIA'S REAL PORTRAIT?

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These are five blogs I enjoy reading the most, and without which life would be less interesting for me: David Meadows' Rogue Classicism is my number one go-to blog.... My second choice is Judith Weingarten's Zenobia - she covers strong ancient women, not just Zenobia, and since these warrior women are the subject of my next book, I love her lengthy well-researched posts. PHDiva"Judith Weingarten, author of The Chronicle of Zenobia: The Rebel Queen writes about gods, kings, war and chivalry here. Written with pace and verve it is a fantastic and exciting analysis."Mike @ Official Osprey Publishing Blog

"I really find Judith Weingarten’s blog to be excellent, and really worth any attention it can get." Thadd @ Archeoporn

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"Judith's blog, Zenobia: Empress of the East is a treasure trove of insights into early history, but also the explorers, scholars and archaeologists who uncovered the ancient world."Martin@The Lay Scientist